DA 02
by KAN[Did he contact you?]
Under the table, Su-jeong sent a message on her phone and stared at the screen.
Soon, her secretary’s reply appeared on the screen where the ‘1’ had disappeared.
[Not yet ㅜㅜ]
Still nothing?
Su-jeong frowned at the reply, which was no different from the one she’d received half an hour ago.
Hadn’t she given him enough time to think?
She was tired of waiting for an answer from the person who had been silent for a week.
How much longer should she wait?
Of course, she had generously offered him a week to think it over. But she hadn’t expected him to take the whole week, let alone the evening, without saying a word.
‘Had I come on too strong?’
Had it been a mistake to try to assert dominance by being aloof and only drinking whiskey?
Su-jeong had been quite nervous herself, given the situation, so maybe drinking high-proof alcohol to relax had backfired.
She’d often heard that she came across as cold and unapproachable when she was calm. Being slightly tipsy, she hadn’t been able to keep up a facade.
‘But then again, that man was way more out of line, wasn’t he?’
Thinking back to Ju Seong-chan’s behavior that night, Su-jeong felt that she had been relatively calm.
Not only had he ignored calls and shown up incredibly late, he had also brought a golf club and used all sorts of vulgar language.
Su-jeong had only retaliated because she didn’t want to be outdone.
But now, as she waited anxiously for an answer, she wondered if she should have just endured it.
It was too late now, but regret washed over her.
“So, Su-jeong, what have you been up to lately?”
Suddenly a middle-aged man’s voice reached her ears and Su-jeong looked up quickly.
“Yes, yes?”
The owner of the voice was Cha Won-gil, her father and chairman of the Cha Seong Group.
As Su-jeong looked up at her father’s sudden question, her eyes briefly met those of her stepmother, Hee-ok, who was sitting next to him.
“Haha, what about me…”
Su-jeong looked away and forced a natural smile as she spoke.
“I’m busy with my business. Actually, I’m swamped with the launch of the new collection-“
“How much can you possibly make from that little hole-in-the-wall shop?”
Su-jeong closed her mouth at Won-gil’s dismissive, cold reply.
‘Figures.’
He wasn’t really interested in how she was doing. Why bother asking every time?
Already used to the situation, Su-jeong maintained a mechanical smile, unperturbed.
Hee-ok chuckled and said playfully, “Oh, honey, really! A hole-in-the-wall? Are there hole-in-the-walls that big these days? I heard that Su-jeong’s brand is the most popular fashion brand among young people these days. Honestly, it’s hardly a hole-in-the-wall. Isn’t that right, Su-jeong?”
“You’re flattering me.”
‘Empty words.’
Despite the gentle, seemingly supportive tone, Su-jeong knew that her stepmother’s words weren’t meant for her. Hee-ok was probably trying to prevent Su-jeong from expressing any desire to give up her current business and join the Cha Seong Group.
If she did, not only would her son’s efforts at the Singapore branch be wasted. Her own hard-earned position could also be threatened.
Unaware of Hee-ok’s intentions, Won-gil scoffed.
“That is just a passing trend. No matter how hard you work, it’s nothing compared to marrying into a wealthy family.”
“Ha ha. Well, that’s true, isn’t it?”
Won-gil then began to rant about how much more profitable marrying into another chaebol would be compared to Su-jeong’s current business ventures.
Same old song and dance.
“Anyway, I’ll be arranging a meeting with the eldest son of the Hae-an group soon, so keep that in mind.”
“What? Father, that was already discussed and-“
“Quiet. I heard you ran away after eating at the last meeting. It’s a good thing they let you get away with it. Any other family wouldn’t have tolerated it.”
“Father, I told you last time. I don’t want to marry that person. It’s my marriage, why are you choosing my husband?”
“Who else is going to take care of your marriage if your father doesn’t?”
“That’s not taking care of me, that’s forcing me.”
“So you’re saying you wouldn’t mind if I withdraw the investment from that hole-in-the-wall?”
“That’s…!”
There it was again.
She had heard it countless times and each time it left her speechless.
The ‘hole-in-the-wall’, as her father dismissively called it, would disappear the moment he withdrew his investment, just as he had threatened.
“Just do as you’re told. I’ll take care of everything.”
“…….”
Su-jeong bit her lip, feeling frustrated and resentful. Suddenly the dark screen of her phone lit up.
[CEO he contacted me!!! He said he’ll do it!!!]
“……!”
Su-jeong jumped out of her seat as soon as she saw the long-awaited reply.
[He wants to discuss the details in person. What date should I set for the meeting?]
Su-jeong checked the time in response to her secretary’s question.
8:30 PM.
It was definitely late for a meeting, considering her strict work-life balance.
[Right now.]
But there were always exceptions.
This was someone she was desperate to meet, so what did the time matter?
“I’m sorry, but I’ll go first.”
Su-jeong said as she got ready to leave.
“Where are you going without finishing your meal? Don’t you have any manners?”
Won-gil expressed his displeasure.
“As you can see, something very important has come up.”
“What could be more important than having dinner with your family?”
Su-jeong, walking out of the dining room, stopped dead in her tracks despite Won-gil’s scolding.
Family. Family, he says.
‘Don’t make me laugh.’
Normally she would have ignored such a remark, but for some reason she couldn’t brush it off so easily this time.
“It’s more important.”
“What is it?”
Su-jeong put on the biggest smile she could muster and said,
“I’m going to meet my future husband.”
8:30 PM. It was the perfect time to meet the man who would become her new family.
***
Ju Seong-chan, the second Korean-born Tiger Woods.
He was born the illegitimate son of a member of the Tae-yang Group, one of South Korea’s leading conglomerates. He was belatedly added to the family register and, with his good looks and overwhelming golfing skills, became an instant star upon his debut.
Unfortunately, his fame was short-lived.
It was around this time two years ago that an incident occurred.
At a drinking party with friends, a drunk man started a fight with him and Seong-chan, unable to ignore the provocation, assaulted him.
Given his notoriously bad temper, the incident itself was not entirely surprising.
However, the situation escalated when the victim posted photos online.
It was a serious offense for an athlete, no less, to use violence against a civilian.
The severity of the assault only made matters worse.
Naturally, his agency held a press conference to try and smooth things over.
The problem was Seong-chan’s attitude.
He was impeccably dressed, but showed no remorse.
“I hit him because I had a reason to, and he got hit because he deserved it. What’s the problem? And why should I have to explain myself?”
He acted shamelessly, as if wondering why everyone was making such a fuss.
His reputation plummeted. It was an inevitable consequence.
Sponsors withdrew their support and he faced billions of won in penalties on his advertising contracts.
The trouble didn’t stop there.
The Korea Professional Golf Association imposed a heavy penalty of a ‘two-year ban from competitions’ for assaulting a civilian.
Golf in particular is known as a ‘gentleman’s sport’ (*because it’s impossible to monitor everything that happens on a vast golf course, there are no dedicated referees; instead, players are entrusted with their own integrity), so professional associations place great importance on the individual reputation of players. The actions he committed were socially and ethically unacceptable from any point of perspective, and the punishment was imposed without hesitation.
This in turn had a ripple effect, preventing him from playing golf in the United States. Visas were not issued to players who caused social disturbances and tarnished the reputation of the game.
In short, at a time when he should have been at his peak, Ju Seong-chan was forced into a hiatus.
‘Of course, for me, it’s the perfect opportunity.’
After recounting the series of events, Su-jeong raised the teacup in front of her to her lips.
She was in a private room of a fine dining restaurant in a hotel in Songpa-gu.
She was waiting for the man who would become her husband.